1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to feeding apparatuses and, more particularly, to a compressible feeding apparatus for dispensing foodstuffs onto an attached spoon assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of feeders and other devices for dispensing food, liquids or medicine, typically for use in connection with the feeding of an infant, are known. Most commonly, prior feeders include an open-ended receptacle for holding the foodstuff or other material to be dispensed. The stored material would then be dispensed through the open-end of the receptacle onto an attached utensil such as a spoon-shaped utensil where the dispensed material may be fed or otherwise administered to the intended recipient of the stored material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,642,425 to Miller discloses a dispensing receptacle which utilizes gravity to dispense sugar from the container onto an attached spoon. To fill the attached spoon with sugar, the receptacle is tilted so that the sugar flows out of an opening in the top of the container. A second dispenser which also relies upon gravity for dispensing the stored material, in this case for the feeding of an infant, may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,550,210 to Vance.
Other dispensers utilize compression for forcing food stored in the receptacle onto the spoon or other utensil for feeding. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,996 to Hickerson uses a plunger for forcing food or medicine out of an opening in the receptacle and onto an attached spoon-like utensil. Other feeding apparatus, while also using compression of the receptacle to deliver food to an attached spoon-like utensil, may be generally classified as using "squeeze-bottle" type compressible receptacles for delivering food to the attached utensil. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,252,119 to Edmonds, 2,837,822 to Wille, 2,953,170 to Bush, 3,116,152 to Smith and 4,888,188 to Castner, et al. all disclose feeding devices in which the receptacle is compressible along its longitudinal axis, for example, by squeezing the sidewalls of the compressible receptacle, to reduce the volume of the receptacle, thereby forcing foodstuffs or other material stored in the receptacle onto an attached spoon-like holding utensil.
Finally, a number of compressible dispensers incorporate the use of axially compressible receptacles for the delivery of materials stored within. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,836 to Martin et al. discloses a dispenser for dry powders, such as those used for extinguishing fires, in which a bellows-like central section of the receptacle is axially compressible to pump the dry powder out of the container. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,506,163 to Rauh discloses an article for holding and dispensing flowable materials such as liquids or semi-solids which includes a collapsible container which can be collapsed from an initial expanded position where it is filled with a flowable material towards a collapsed position where the volume of the container means is only a fraction of its initial volume.
It is an object of this invention to provide a compressible feeding apparatus which dispenses liquids, semi-solid foodstuffs, or other edible or medicinal materials by axially compressing the storage receptacle, thereby forcing material stored therein onto an attached utensil assembly.
It is another object of this invention to provide a compressible feeding apparatus which dispenses materials stored in an open-ended, axially compressible receptacle through an attached nozzle assembly which covers the open end of the receptacle and onto an attached utensil assembly upon axial compression of the receptacle, thereby permitting ready feeding or administering of the stored material.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a compressible feeding apparatus which dispenses materials stored in an open-ended compressible receptacle through a nozzle assembly which covers an open end of the receptacle and onto an attached utensil assembly in which the utensil assembly is matable with the nozzle assembly, thereby providing ready opening and closing of the feeding apparatus.